“How queer!  Hugh, was there anything the matter?  Is he in trouble?” she asked anxiously.

I stood toying with a book-mark, reflecting.  She must inevitably come to suspect that something had happened, and it would be as well to fortify her.

“The trouble is,” I said after a moment, “that Perry and Tom would like to run modern business on the principle of a charitable institution.  Unfortunately, it is not practical.  They’re upset because I have been retained by a syndicate whose object is to develop some land out beyond Maplewood Avenue.  They’ve bought the land, and we are asking the city to give us a right to build a line out Maplewood Avenue, which is the obvious way to go.  Perry says it will spoil the avenue.  That’s nonsense, in the first place.  The avenue is wide, and the tracks will be in a grass plot in the centre.  For the sake of keeping tracks off that avenue he would deprive people of attractive homes at a small cost, of the good air they can get beyond the heights; he would stunt the city’s development.”

“That does seem a little unreasonable,” Maude admitted.  “Is that all he objects to?”

“No, he thinks it an outrage because, in order to get the franchise, we have to deal with the city politicians.  Well, it so happens, and always has happened, that politics have been controlled by leaders, whom Perry calls ‘bosses,’ and they are not particularly attractive men.  You wouldn’t care to associate with them.  My father once refused to be mayor of the city for this reason.  But they are necessities.  If the people didn’t want them, they’d take enough interest in elections to throw them out.  But since the people do want them, and they are there, every time a new street-car line or something of that sort needs to be built they have to be consulted, because, without their influence nothing could be done.  On the other hand, these politicians cannot afford to ignore men of local importance like Leonard Dickinson and Adolf Scherer and Miller Gorse who represent financial substance and’ responsibility.  If a new street-railroad is to be built, these are the logical ones to build it.  You have just the same situation in Elkington, on a smaller scale.

“Your family, the Hutchinses, own the mills and the street-railroads, and any new enterprise that presents itself is done with their money, because they are reliable and sound.”

“It isn’t pleasant to think that there are such people as the politicians, is it?” said Maude, slowly.

“Unquestionably not,” I agreed.  “It isn’t pleasant to think of some other crude forces in the world.  But they exist, and they have to be dealt with.  Suppose the United States should refuse to trade with Russia because, from our republican point of view, we regarded her government as tyrannical and oppressive? or to cooperate with England in some undertaking for the world’s benefit because we contended that she ruled India with an iron hand?  In such a case, our President and Senate would be scoundrels for making and ratifying a treaty.  Yet here are Perry and Tom, and no doubt Susan and Lucia, accusing me, a lifetime friend, of dishonesty because I happen to be counsel for a syndicate that wishes to build a street-railroad for the convenience of the people of the city.”